800+ Mile Club

Hmmm.

If you assume that the clean part is 100% de-novo, otherwise un utilized wind, and the PEPCO fraction is 100% dirty, the combo is 77% clean energy. Man, I would I jump at an opportunity for electricity that clean, and would have bought a LEAF instead of another hybrid 8 months ago. My grid option is 100% coal; and like you I have practical obstacles to putting up PV. So like you, I have concluded that I have to reduce electricity use. I'm getting there: although I still cook and heat water with electricity, I am down to about 7 - 8 kwh/day these past 3 months. I'm shooting for 3 kwh/day once I switch to NG for hot water.

I think the real problem is that clean energy aggregators and green credits are usually a scam.

 

All electricity on the grid is bought in credit units (its like a mini commodities market -- which certain agents like Enron have manipulated in the past). FWIW - 100% of the money used to buy 1.0 kwh from "clean current" goes to financially supporting wind turbine farms in the USA (PA, OH are the two states that I remember) by buying credits from them directly. This in theory will helps them expand their wind farm operations. Its the best solution I could come up with given my circumstances. In defense of PEPCO, they have inherited a dirty legacy electric utility so its an uphill battle for them to be environmentally friendly - however, the criticism that PEPCO needs to do much more for environmental is not unfounded - especially given their high costs. PEPCO energy usage is as follows:

· 52.3% coal
· 35.3% nuclear
· 7.9% natural gas
· 0.3% oil
· 0.3% hydroelectric
· 3.9% renewable energy

My current 12 month running average is 400 kwh/month (13 kw/day)
My goal is get it to 300 kwh/month.. I'm still pretty wasteful...

 

I bolded the key point here. I like my greenery to be more than theory. If I buy a kwh of green energy, then I want one more kwh of clean energy, and one less kwh of dirty energy, on the grid than was present before I handed over my money.

'support' and 'help' are way too nebulous for me.

 

What you want is a choice which does not exist on the grid.

All electricity that is bought over the grid is generated in real time in a commodity market structure - once the electricity is pumped into the grid there is no way to identify whether a particular kwh was made from clean or dirty energy -there is no way around this. It is the nature of all the electricity purchase via the grid. While purchasing from clean current pays for the generation of green energy, it cannot stop the generation of on-demand dirty energy directly - that's impossible without a federal mandate/law to dismantle/ convert the plants which are generating dirty electricity on the grid. For example, in Japan there is a political movement to dismantle the Fukushima Nuclear Reactors because of the damage they incurred after the earthquake and Tsunami.

 

In one respect I was being too literal. Assuming that demand does not increase by one kwh just because I bought/brought an additional one clean kwh of energy to the grid, I infer that one kwh of dirty energy less will be consumed.

My objection to the 'green credit' plans I have looked into all sell me clean energy already on the grid, but do not add any more.

 

My contract requires clean energy unless there is an emergency of some sort.
Only by creating a demand for clean energy can the market for clean energy expand.

Unfortunately, because of my continual efforts to conserve electricity my
annual need for electricity is dropping - so they're going to need more customers...

 

Here is my best tank, which i just finished today!

10.925 gallons added to tank by 813 miles driven would be about 74.4mpg, so it was about 1.2mpg off in the positive side...

The last blip started flashing at 679 miles on the tank..

So I drove about 134 miles on the flashing light

I drive a 2011 Toyota Prius Five, Black

Im running factory 17" wheels with oem Toyo Proxes

Tire Pressures: 40 psi front 40psi rear

I have a scanguage 2 which i monitor battery SOC, Engine RPM, Coolant Temp, and fuel cost per trip.

I drive on the Freeway, and on the street, mostly freeways and i hit some spots of traffic on my way to work and on my way home

I always have the car in eco mode.

I drove 813.4 miles on 10.925 gallons

87 octane fuel filled up at ARCO

MFD average speed estimate = 28 mph

MFD Fuel efficiency estimate = 75.6 mpg

Calculated MPG at the pump = 74.4 mpg

 

yeap!!!

 

Ok, I'm more than confussed now. 17s, mostly freeway miles, and stop and go traffic? Now I see that your AVS is 28mph, so one of the many questions that is going through my mind is: What speeds are you doing to on the highway? Do you have a pit crew waiting every time you come to a stop to push the Prius back up to speed again? Do you have one of those magical hydrogen generators hooked up to the ICE?

I definately congratulate you for your incredible accomplishment, but I would like to know a lot more about yor 813.4 mile journey. It sounds like you may be applying a new trick/skill that the reset of us aren't aware of, and I for one eagerly await to hear more about this.

- TP

 

I thought there was some James Bond gadget that shot out a rope and grappling hook to the car in front.

I too am in awe and want to know your technique!

 

"Do you have a pit crew waiting every time you come to a stop to push the Prius back up to speed again?"

What happens is a giant hand emerges from the clouds, grabs his car and moves it while he is in neutral.

 

17s & 74 mpg and highway. Very nice. Must be using SHM.

 

I never thought i would be able to accomplish this when i first bought the car. but for sure a lot of time behind the wheel helps, i drive 70 miles a day to get to and from work. Also precise management for exactly how much electricity i use while driving, and counting how long the engine runs (in seconds) helped a lot. I try to make sure that if I use the engine to accelerate for 10 seconds, i either coast or have the engine off for at least 20... Another thing is obviously avoiding short trips, and excessive acceleration in the pwr zone. Either way it was not easy and was very stressful to get those numbers without angering other drivers. I frequently switch lanes to allow people to pass me. But it was all worth it!

 

Think I have an outside chance of beating my personal best this tank. I should have it completed by Saturday or Sunday.

 

That's great! Whatever your tank is - its probably going to beat mine. Traffics around the construction of the Naval Hospital expansion has been a real MPG killer on my commute - Just yesterday afternoon it took me 1 hour just to get out of Bethesda( from the Bethesda Metro Station to Rt.355 I270 exit, estimated distance = 2 miles) While I time shifted the morning commute (83 mpg) - my MPG gains was wiped out by the afternoon traffic jam in the afternoon commute going home(53mpg).

 

That puts you down here with us mere mortals!

 

Got a new personal record!
Temps have been 50-80 so I haven't had to use any sort of HVAC. Just standard around town type stuff. Actual was 74.7 which was 5.5% difference. That is a little bigger difference than usual. I used 10.954 gallons. This leads me to believe that next spring a 900 tank might be possible. We will see...